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Walkability: Geo-Close Reading

Fairmont State University, the college “on the hill” and Fairmont, WV are an ideal location for students to explore the many sub-disciplines and aspects of urban geography, the study of cities and urban processes.

Geo-Close Reading

Close reading is an academic reading skill used to analyze a text very carefully to draw out main ideas and make analytical decisions. 

A Geo-close reading melds geospatial literacy and academic reading literacy to promote close reading to identify and analyze geographic concepts in a reading. Geographic thinking or literacy is important to question the geography behind what you are reading, its relevance, biases, and context. 

Integrating Historical and Geographic Thinking ​By Educational Outreach Staff, with contributions from Dr. Mark Newman and Dr. Peggy O-Neill-Jones

 

Geo-Close Project

Students conducted a Geo-Close Reading of  Schwarzer’s article, “Downtown: A Short History of American Urban Exceptionalism,”  which gives an accessible and effective synopsis of the process of urbanization of the built environment in the American City. 

They selected quotes that related to what they were learning througout the semester and their relevance to their professions. 

These quotes were used to create a Geo-Close Reading StoryMap. "Geo-Close Reading: A Short History of American Urban Exceptionalism"